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Enhancement of Mechanical and Structural Traits of Aluminum Using Low Energy Plasma Focus Device
Author(s) -
Raza Hafiz Ahmad,
Shafiq Muhammad,
Naeem Muhammad,
Naz Muhammad Yasin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201900162
Subject(s) - materials science , nitriding , nitride , aluminium , crystallinity , plasma , composite material , dislocation , raman spectroscopy , metallurgy , layer (electronics) , optics , physics , quantum mechanics
Owing to good machinability, low weight and high specific strength, aluminum is widely used in aerospace and automotive industries. However, low mechanical strength limits its wide spread use in mainstream industries. In this study, nitriding of aluminum was performed with a stream of low energy ions in 1.8 kJ Mather type dense plasma focus (DPF) device. The axial distance from the anode tip was varied in steps to study the effect of the stream length on structural and mechanical properties of the nitrided samples. XRD and Raman analysis confirmed the formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) on the plasma exposed surface. Williamson‐Hall (W−H) study revealed significant improvement in crystallinity and strain of the nitride samples. The most favorable results on mechanical and structural properties of the nitrided samples were obtained at an axial distance of 10 cm. The improved texture and maximum dislocation density for typical AlN (311) is obtained at the optimum distance. The micro‐hardness of the nitrided samples was measured ∼4.5 times higher than the base material.